CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA 
Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
SL must focus foreign policy on West: UNP
United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian and former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said today Sri Lanka’s foreign policy should be focused on the West instead of the African region.“External Affairs Minister G.L. Peries recently said Sri Lanka didn’t need the assistance of Western countries and soon after the Government began focusing its attention on African countries. The minister also said the Government would establish diplomatic relations with 15 selected African countries,” Mr. Samaraweera told a news conference.
He said the recently concluded Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was unsuccessful because of the low turnout and said it was high time that Sri Lanka revamped, revised and improved its foreign policy for the benefit of the country.
Mr. Samaraweera said only seven countries from the African region sent delegates to the Summit in Colombo though there were 19 African-member countries in the Commonwealth.
“If our foreign policy was healthy and doing well, the turnout at the CHOGM would have no been so low. I think Minister Peries should resign after taking responsibility for our dilapidated foreign policy,” he said.
He said Minister Peries had deceived Parliament and the people by making a statement in the Parliament saying that 31 Heads of Government had arrived in Sri Lanka for the CHOGM.
“Only 21 Heads of Government Heads took part in the Summit,” Mr. Samaraweera said and added that the UNP would give its full commitment to the government to implement the Commonwealth Charter and its values in Sri Lanka. (Lahiru Pothmulla)
Comments - 19
Recommended
You May Also Like
Trending
